September 2025 Meeting
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 7:00pm
Refer to Meeting Announcement
Theme:
Sharp Subject, Soft Background
Busy, distracting backgrounds can ruin a photo, no matter how strong the subject. And one good way to avoid this pitfall is to create an out-of-focus (“soft”) background. This is easily achieved by using a large lens aperture (for shallow depth of focus), a long focal length (telephoto rather than wide-angle), and keeping some distance between your subject and the background. Your challenge, then, is to photograph a tack-sharp subject against a completely out-of-focus background. Portraits of people and animals are especially beautiful in this format, but what else can you imagine? A close-up shot with just a tiny part of a flower sharp and the rest of the flower blurred, perhaps?
Our judge this month is Charles Needle. Charles is an award-winning, Colorado-based fine art photographer, author, speaker, and workshop leader. His popular “Art of Nature” creative macro workshops have attracted students nationwide. In 2024, Charles made the sort list for the Close-up Photographer of the Year international contest. And in 2018 and 2021, he earned honorable mentions in the Macro and Visual FX categories of the prestigious Annual International Mobile Photography Awards Contest.
A popular conference and camera club speaker for more than two decades, Charles has authored three cutting-edge instructional books: Tiny Worlds: Creative Macro Photography Skills, Impressionistic Photography: A Field Guide to Using Your Camera as a Paintbrush, and Creative Macro Photography: Professional Tips & Techniques.
Charles’ photographs have selected for publication in Nature’s Best, Outdoor Photographer magazine, and Nature Photographer magazine. To learn more about Charles' work, including his workshop and private lesson offerings, visit www.charlesneedlephoto.com.
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I used a 12-40mm Pro at my friend's fruit stand to focus on the the statues while blurring the background